Did it ever occur to anyone that Metal Movers might be soooo willing to help because they knew what they were doing was wrong/illegal? They accepted a stolen vehicle. A simple VIN search would have shown that A: the truck has been reported as stolen or B: The guy selling them the vehicle for scrap was not the actual owner.

Maybe this isn't the case at all, and there's more to this story than what's here. I have never scrapped a vehicle and don't know the "in's and outs" of that process, but there's got to be more than just driving a truck up to the counter and being handed a pile if cash.

Did it ever occur to anyone that Metal Movers might be soooo willing to help because they knew what they were doing was wrong/illegal? They accepted a stolen vehicle. A simple VIN search would have shown that A: the truck has been reported as stolen or B: The guy selling them the vehicle for scrap was not the actual owner.

Bingo

Once you report a vehicle stolen, a simple check on this site confirms whether a vehicle is stolen or not. Mine was listed on there as soon as I made my report. It would be real easy to check VIN's before dismantling begins. That said, nobody's perfect, scrap is a very competitive business, and they did what I asked to fix the mistake. I wish everybody could get their cars back, but this is going to continue as long as people are desparate, and metal is worth more then paper.

Of course they bent over backwards to make you happy, they were caught redhanded receiving stolen property. I understand scrap being competitive but IMO there is a special place in hell for those who facilitate stuff like that. There is no excuse for it. They know that a lot of the vehicles they scrap are stolen and that's why they don't let them sit around. It also irks me that I bet the cops know what goes on but they do nothing about it. There aren't that many places that scrap cars.

Of course they bent over backwards to make you happy, they were caught redhanded receiving stolen property. I understand scrap being competitive but IMO there is a special place in hell for those who facilitate stuff like that. There is no excuse for it. They know that a lot of the vehicles they scrap are stolen and that's why they don't let them sit around. It also irks me that I bet the cops know what goes on but they do nothing about it. There aren't that many places that scrap cars.

I agree completely. The debate gets social & political from here.

It's the system. If police wanted to catch thieves, they could. I bet if I took my smart phone up and down the rows of cars at the pull yourself lots running VIN's, I could find stolen cars. Why couldn't a beat cop do that? Receiving stolen property is as bad as stealing, and it happened. How come the police aren't doing anything? I can't stop this myself.

Ownership is an illusion. All power flows from the end of a gun. The guy with the biggest gun owns everything because he could take anything. One only owns what he has the ability, and will to defend. As people, we have more power when we cooperate. We should be running VIN's when we see suspicious activity, or when buying parts from shady characters. Protect yourself, the ones you love, and each other, we cant expect to be protected by big brother in everything.

I'll touch some nerves here I'm sure... It's easy to blame cops, teachers, firemen, or any other public servant. The fact of the matter is that any "public service" job IS short staffed, under paid, and always asked to do more with less. People need to raise their kids right & be involved in their lives. Those that haven't reproduced ought to think about mentoring those that are less fortunate or have POS parents. Society & Politicians need to stop pointing fingers & accept some responsibility.... Don't get me started on video games. Thought I'd chime in on the turn that this thread is taking.

On a lighter note, I'm really glad that you got your RIG back Mike. I hope the that you get HER back to tip top shape & that SHE stays with you for a long, long time. I too think that the scrap yard got off too easy & that you should have your truck back to the way it was prior to the theft.

I'll touch some nerves here I'm sure... It's easy to blame cops, teachers, firemen, or any other public servant. The fact of the matter is that any "public service" job IS short staffed, under paid, and always asked to do more with less. People need to raise their kids right & be involved in their lives. Those that haven't reproduced ought to think about mentoring those that are less fortunate or have POS parents. Society & Politicians need to stop pointing fingers & accept some responsibility.... Don't get me started on video games. Thought I'd chime in on the turn that this thread is taking.

On a lighter note, I'm really glad that you got your RIG back Mike. I hope the that you get HER back to tip top shape & that SHE stays with you for a long, long time. I too think that the scrap yard got off too easy & that you should have your truck back to the way it was prior to the theft.

Thanks Travis.

Public service is our only option, and it's the best option, but public is us. I hope I did the best I could to shed some light on what is happening. The more we know the better we could fight. When someone's rig is stolen, we have to check these places ASAP. I got my truck back due to help from a complete stranger.

Trying not to highjack this thread, I think we learned a lot from this unfortunate incident, but how about a thread/sticky on how to theft proof our rigs. Maybe it already exists.
Most of these things are crimes of opportunity so if we can impede the scum in their efforts by making it more difficult, taking more time to overcome the systems we could rest a bit easier. If the scum really want the rig they will take it, and short of claymore mines...
just my humble observations.

Trying not to highjack this thread, I think we learned a lot from this unfortunate incident, but how about a thread/sticky on how to theft proof our rigs. Maybe it already exists.
Most of these things are crimes of opportunity so if we can impede the scum in their efforts by making it more difficult, taking more time to overcome the systems we could rest a bit easier. If the scum really want the rig they will take it, and short of claymore mines...
just my humble observations.